The Stage

No fees without work

Published Monday 25 September 2006 at 11:10

Equity admitted in its council meeting report, for July 4, 2006, that it is “constantly being criticised for its position on book fees and up-front fees”. As you know in September 2004, Equity stated in The Stage it was not opposed to book fees. In spring 2005 it stated in its magazine “New agency rules begin to bite - up-front registration fees have largely disappeared”. Of course this statement did not reflect the truth. Equity was then forced to make an apology, in their autumn 2005 magazine: “Agency regulations may be a paper tiger - Equity expressed its astonishment”.

Now Equity wants to separate those that charge up-front fees into two different categories. The first category would be those that charge commission, who should no longer be allowed to charge any up-front fees. The second category is those that do not charge commission, whom Equity believes should no longer come under DTI’s EAS regulations but should be under a new category, where such businesses are to be regarded as publishers of directories. Equity, so far, does not have any plans whatsoever to limit the activities of scam/bogus directories, which is ludicrous. Merely window dressing on this issue is not a realistic option and I will fight against this fatally flawed proposal, since it does not address the problem.

Equity is being totally na•ve in thinking that merely making a new category for non-commission charging agencies would resolve the problem. I have told Equity this but it has fallen on deaf ears. The underlying problem would still exist, in that scam directories - which promise work despite having few or no employers supporting the directory - would continue to unfairly exploit Equity members. Under this proposal, so called ‘talent scouts’ would still be allowed to exist.

Unless we put in a mechanism that will differentiate the legitimate from the bogus we will never solve this problem. I have said that where such directories do not come within this mechanism they should not be allowed to charge any up-front fee. They should only be able to charge a fee from actual work provided until they do come within the remit. Otherwise we are giving scam/bogus directories the right to print money.

Where a casting directory can prove that their directories are widely used by employers then they should be allowed to charge an up-front fee, within certain provisos yet to be agreed. Equity members, like any other UK workers, have a perfect right to expect to find work where they are not open to scams by directories, which are the gatekeepers to work opportunities in our industry. Ê

Equity members are deemed to be workers by the DTI, yet our members currently have no rights whatsoever to a level playing field when seeking work. This cannot continue.

Clive Hurst

Walk-ons councillor

Equity

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